A Dolores couple is reaching out through haveababy.com and social media for support of their efforts to start a family.
Nikki and Colin Berdzar are participating in a unique video competition by couples needing the miracle of medical technology to have a child.
The I Believe video journal contest awards two lucky families expensive fertility treatments at no cost. Watch their video and vote for the local couple at http://haveababy.com/ibelieve2013berdzar/
After watching their very charming video set to music, wipe away your tears, scroll to the bottom of the page and submit your vote.
The Berdzars have been trying to have a baby for seven years, Nikki said, but the hardworking couple cannot afford the $20,000 for in-vitro fertilization treatment.
“We’re both pretty positive people and try to look at all the things we have in life,” she said in an interview. “We also want the joy of having a child, to do all the fun things and be really good parents.”
Last year, the couple entered the contest but narrowly lost. They had over 3,000 votes, enough to make the final five out of 70. The Berdzars are trying to gather support for their cause via Facebook and on YouTube, where their video received 2,000 hits.
“We are going for a win this year with a new video of our lives showing our love for each other,” Nikki said. “We want to thank everybody for helping us with our dream of having a baby.”
In-vitro fertilization is a process by which the woman’s eggs are fertilized by sperm outside the body and them implanted into the uterus.
The Berdzars have already spent $15,000 in a year on other fertility treatments, but they have not been successful. IVF is the next step.
“It has been a very emotional battle, and it has been a financial hardship because you can only dish out so much money,” she says.
To help out couples, Sher Fertility Clinics for Reproductive Medicine puts on the contest.
“We are so appreciative of the Sher institute because they know insurance companies do not cover fertility treatments,” Nikki said. “So they are giving back which is awesome.”
So far, the Sher Fertility Clinic has helped 12,000 families have children, and the Berdzars are asking the community to help them get a chance to join the club.
“We have a lot of friends and family with kids so we still have the joy of having kids in our lives. Now we’re praying for one of our own,” Nikki says.
Voting ends on Dec. 1, and the winners are announced the next day.
The couple both graduated from Montezuma-Cortez High School in 1998. Nikki is a hairstylist with Ritz Salon, and Colin works for Resolute.